Women’s History Month Drive
Introduction
After my club, the Cultural Diversity Club, participated in the inspiring opportunities to serve for the nonprofit organization Candlelighters of Brevard in a fun field trip and received a visit from the school district Equity and Diversity Director herself, we asked ourselves, how are we going to top these activities during the second semester? The Vice President, Marley, and I begged this exact question at the meeting immediately after Winter Break. Humbly, our Secretary, Lilee Kracht, added that she had previously worked with the "Women's Center of Brevard" and that, despite being the largest Women's Center in the county, the organization needed incredible help. The ideas came to us like magic: Women's History Month needed to be celebrated in two months, the organization needed hygiene supplies, and our students needed to gather mandatory service hours for their numerous clubs. Thus, the Women's History Drive was born!
About the Women's Center of Brevard
Before we dive into the intricacies of formulating this project, the history and work of the Women's Center of Brevard must be first understood! Beginning with a pop-up message that tells the reader that its page can be hidden at any time in case they are in a pinch, the organization's website provides all sorts of information as to how Brevard County women can be safe from domestic violence and assault in the most discreet of ways. As well as information and advice, the nonprofit also provides financial assistance, career guidance, and housing. As it turned out, after a quick and easy after-school phone call with the organization, their "Housing" sector needed the most assistance. For nonprofits such as this, we learned that donating full-sized products was sometimes more practical than travel ones; large hygiene products were crucial for women living at these locations for long periods!
The Process
I have to be honest; planning this drive was incredibly messy! Initially, we had wanted it to last from the very beginning to the very end of March (Women's History Month), but Spring Break was smack in the middle of the month. We would have only one week to gather as many products as possible. Despite this, I am proud to say that we made the most of our Spring Break! Some members took the time to decorate home-brought boxes in a pretty pink, some worked on requesting student incentives from teachers, and some placed them around the school the very day we got back. In a flurry of rather desperate last-minute requests (some in English and some in Spanish), Marley and I were able to speak on the meaning of our drive to the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, have teachers with some of the most challenging exams offer extra credit, and give students and parents mandatory service hours in return for donations.
Conclusion
In the end, I am honored to say that—in that one week—we collected over one hundred pounds of full-sized hygiene products that Marley and I spent about an hour dragging to my car (we didn't think we would receive nearly that much). Somehow, we also acquired a hairdryer that could not be donated. Oops! Despite these humorous negatives, I learned that successfully planning and conducting a meaningful drive is no joke. We most definitely did some things right (i.e., influential incentives and adorable packaging). Still, we could've saved ourselves a lot of stress if we had done these things sooner. Now that my team and I know how to design and execute a successful drive, we cannot wait to have one again next year, but this time bigger, better, and planned much sooner!
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